His disciples came to him and asked that he teach them to pray. Jesus replied, “when you pray, say, our father, who art in heaven…”
Today, when you go down on your knees and say “My Father”, you must know that heavens respond.
God, your father in heaven listens and responds when you come calling. God answers your prayers in different ways.
In this post, we will look at 4 different ways God answers your prayers, and how you should respond to each.
‘Wait’ in itself is an answer to prayer. God works in season and not out of season.
He maintained the balance of the universe on the principles of rain in its season, sun in the day, moon in the night, a time for everything.
So a delay is never a denial. When he says wait, he wants to prepare you.
Through periods of waiting, Men of faith are forged like steel. Abraham believed in God’s promise and it was counted for faith. Healing transients into resurrection- “if you were here my brother won’t have died”. But Christ delayed Lazarus’ healing for resurrection.
In waiting, God conforms us to his life.
2- When God stays SILENT, be still, He is closer than you think.
Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10.
Sometimes, you may have wondered why a flamboyant God wants you to be still to know that he is God. After all,
The Most High made his voice heard with hailstones and lightning.
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.
His voice is like the sound of many waters.
His voice breaks the cedars.
His voice is powerful,
His voice is majestic.
His voice is mighty.
Yes, you can hardly associate God’s voice to a silent whisper, but sometimes, your anxiety, your faithlessness, your ‘made-up mind’, your ways, your busy life, even your storms can drown heaven’s loudest whisper.
Remember:
Balaam’s headstrong drowned God’s conspicuous’ voice.
Abraham’s eagerness for an heir drowned out God’s loud voice about Isaac.
Elijah’s death wishes drowned God’s thundering voice.
When it seems God is silent, be still, because he is ever closer than you think.
3- When God says NO, He has something better in store. Trust Him.
God’s ultimate answer to his children’s prayer is never a ‘NO’.
“Ask anything in my name and I will do it”. He meant it when he said that.
Or what Father is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Like a good father, he is a yes Father and a yes God! He says no, to ultimately answer yes. He says no to something good for his children in other to say yes to what is ultimately better.
God will never give you a stone when you ask for bread, nor give you a scorpion when you ask for fish. But sometimes, God says no to bread to say yes to fish and no to fish to say yes to bread. He knows what’s best for his children and he constantly says yes to what’s best, even if it means saying no to what’s good.
He said no to healing a sick Lazarus, in other to resurrect a dead Lazarus.
He said no to Christ’s request in the garden of Gethsemane, in other to bring salvation to the world.
When God says no, there is something better in store.
4- When God says YES, He will do what He promised.
When God says yes, nobody can say no because God will do what he promised.
When God says yes, He commits to his promise. You can take it as done.
God says it, you believe it and it is settled.
When God says yes, you head out in faith, believing that he will do what he says. Go take a credit on God’s promissory note because he will come through.
Elijah called an entire nation to prepare for rain with no single dark clouds in the sky.
Noah built an ark on dry ground with no flood insight.
Why not take God on his promise, too?
